Exercise: Can a trainer help take you to the next fitness level?

Getting Personal

By Cari Scribner/HealthyLife

When you think “personal trainer,” you may envision a drill sergeant in your face, barking out orders, insisting you do more sit-ups or push-ups than you’ve ever done before. That’s not the norm. Instead today’s trainers are more like personal cheerleaders: They provide support, gentle motivation and, most importantly, help you guard against injuries by tailoring exercises to your specific fitness level and any weak spots in your body.

More good news: You don’t need to be in peak shape (or even good shape) or prepping for a triathlon to be welcomed by a personal trainer. Most trainers are found at health clubs, where, for an additional fee, members can work one-on-one or in small groups.

How long you stay with a trainer is up to you. Local trainers say they offer anywhere from three to 20 or more sessions, which run about 60 to 90 minutes, and novice exercisers should start out two times per week and work their way up to four to five sessions (with days set aside for resting the body), if they make the decision to do so. The trainer won’t push clients about how long or how many sessions to take on. You can start an exercise regimen on your own, but if you’re like many people who jump in with both feet, you do risk injury that may curtail additional days at the gym.

Carrie Barown is an energetic, upbeat personal trainer who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise science. After college, she was a physical education teacher. But when her job was downsized, Barown looked around for another career that would keep her in the fitness field. Personal training was a natural next step. She studied for the certification test, quickly realizing her college degrees were a great help.

“For certification, you need to know a lot about anatomy and physiology,” Barown says. “It would be difficult for anyone to walk in off the street and pass the test. You need to know the body and what impact certain exercises have, and if someone has a bad back or bad knee, you absolutely need to keep them safe from injury.”

After earning certification, Barown went to work at the Ciccotti Family Recreation Center in Albany as a trainer. “I start my clients off at a low level with basic exercises so I don’t push them and injure them,” Barown says. “I use a lot of my teaching skills. We do things in steps and keep track of their progress.”

Barown’s clients are primarily female, and if you’re worried about being in the poorest physical condition she’s seen to date, fear not. “Oh my gosh, I see women in all levels of fitness,” Barown says. “I don’t push people. Any exercise can be broken down into increments and tailored to each individual client. Everyone has a place here with us and is more than welcome to train with us.”

Jennifer Sim of Schenectady says she wasn’t in good condition when she signed up to work with Barown. “I’ve never been an exercise enthusiast,” Sim admits. “I was tired of feeling bad about myself. I finally decided it was time to get serious. I wanted someone to show me the ropes, but not be pushing me to the extreme.”

Sim was also concerned about not causing more injury to her bad knee when working out. “I can’t lunge at all,” Sim says. “Carrie adjusts every move so I don’t get hurt. She breaks it all down. She says, `Let’s just do this move for one minute,’ or, `If you can’t do 10, let’s do five.’”

Sim completed one eight-week round of sessions, and is in her third week of her second round. Has she seen success? You bet.

“I lost inches from my hips and waist, and, best of all, I lost 1 percent of my overall body mass index,” Sim says. “I’m very proud. I’ll definitely stick with it.”

Pattie Rakvica is a personal trainer at Glenville Health and Fitness. She became a trainer after a tragedy in her own life. Six years ago, she was in a massive car accident that left her with multiple serious injuries. As her body recovered, Rakvica went online and began to study for personal training certification.

“I became a personal trainer to train myself,” Rakvica says. ‘I’m strong and have a long life ahead of me. Now, I do it to inspire other women to become the best they can be. I do understand what it feels like to start out. It’s hard.”

Rakvica says she uses “quiet enthusiasm” to keep her clients going. “I believe in the mind-body-spirit connection to fitness and good health,” Rakvica says. “I don’t focus on weight. I want women to be able to take the stairs and to run around and chase their kids and go to work with energy.”

Andrea Devlin has been a trainer at Albany CrossFit for four years. She has a master’s degree in business administration, but found a career path. “I’ve always been a runner, but I experienced great results and I wanted to share it with others,” Devlin says. “I found a different passion and I just love what I do every single day.”

Devlin makes it clear to her new clients that she won’t push them too far, or too hard. “Rather than jumping on a treadmill, I look at their individual abilities,” Devlin says. “Start with one pull-up. Try another the next time. That’s improvement. Just getting off the couch is something to be applauded.”

Devlin greets every client and asks about their day. It’s more than a social skill; she’s also getting a sense of what they’re capable of that particular day.

“There’s all kinds of stress in life. Maybe today you can’t do a single pull-up because you had a terrible day,” Devlin says. “The last thing we want is to make someone feel they’ve failed in a workout. The goal is to make them feel good and want to come back. We’re a large, supportive community here.”

There’s one more reason why a personal trainer may be a good choice: accountability. “Having someone there to greet me makes me go,” Sim says. “If I don’t show up, I know Carrie will ask where I was and I’ll have to make an excuse. I don’t want to let her down. That’s also letting myself down.”

Getting Started

Look for certification: Most trainers are certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which offers CrossFit accreditation. Trainers must be re-certified every five years by ANSI and also take some continuing education classes.

General costs:Costs per training session vary by fitness center, and are generally cheaper for members of the gym. Initial training sessions include an evaluation, and generally run $50 to $75. After that, most gyms offer either individual or small group (3-4 people) sessions and sell them in blocks, such as two to three sessions per week for six weeks. Prices vary by fitness center, and are less expensive if you sign up for small group training.